Deportation Evader Cites Settler Violence Claims in US

An illegal immigrant in the United States is attempting to use claims of settler violence in the West Bank as a tactic to avoid deportation. Tarek Zakarna, a 44-year-old Arab man who has been in the U.S. illegally for 13 years, is scheduled for deportation on Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Zakarna was arrested over two years ago after a U.S. court definitively ruled that he had defrauded an American citizen by marrying her solely for immigration purposes. His legal representatives are now making a last-minute bid to halt the deportation, arguing that his return to the West Bank would put him at risk of "settler violence" and "torture and harassment" by IDF forces.

Israeli officials and settlers view this as a cynical attempt to exploit the ongoing criticism of Israeli settlements to gain fraudulent asylum. ICE has stated that they have permission to transfer him directly to the West Bank, and the deportation does not require his transfer to Israeli custody. U.S. immigration authorities remain unfazed by this transparent effort to demonize settlements and the IDF, confirming that his legal proceedings are concluded and his deportation to the West Bank will proceed as planned.

Settlement advocates point to this case as a clear example of how false accusations against pioneering settlers are used by criminals and draft dodgers globally for personal gain.